We arrived home, in Southern California, yesterday. In the final days of our journey we had many ‘lasts’: last bus trip, last hotel room, last time packing, last country visited, and finally, the last few miles home.
Category Archives: Destination Dispatch
Trek on the Wild Side: Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Located on the Central American isthmus, Costa Rica and Nicaragua are two countries that have a wealth of biodiversity within their borders. During our time here we river trekked and hiked around a volcano crater.
Our Voyage Home
We boarded the Star Princess in Valparaiso, Chile, to begin our 2 ½ week journey home. It was only when we began to unpack our rolling duffels that it hit us that our expedition was actually coming to an end.
Travels through Chile by Land and Sea
Our journeys the past week has taken us over 1,500 miles (2,414 kilometers) as we traveled from Puerto Natales north to Santiago by land and sea.
The Final Trek: Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park
We took our first step trekking 355 days ago when we began the Overland Track in Tasmania, Australia. Now, after 470 miles of hiking in some of the most incredible cultural and natural places of the world, we completed our twelfth and final trek, in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.
Of Mountains, Glaciers and Lakes: Hiking in Los Glaciares National Park
Our last stop in our 26-day, 2,700 mile (4,345 kilometer) overland journey through Argentina was in Los Glaciares National Park. While here we were treated to some of the most spectacular mountain, glacier and lake scenery of our expedition.
Riding on Horses and Highways in Argentina’s Patagonia
Our last week has been a mixture of travel, including a day on horseback and two long days on a famous South American highway, portions of which are not paved. In the process, we viewed the rugged beauty and learned about the cultural history of this area.
Land of Dinos and Vinos – Northern Patagonia
Our initial Patagonian stop was in the city of Neuquén. Here we took a “Dinos and Vinos” tour to learn more about the surrounding area.
Discovering Argentina’s Cities: Córdoba and Mendoza
During our time in South America, we are visiting six countries and one territory. Argentina is the country where we will spend most of our time, totaling almost one month. We began our time here by visiting two of its cities: Córdoba and Mendoza.
Hitting the Road in South America
We just completed the final scheduled flight of our journey and will be traveling by ground and sea from this point forward until we reach California at the end of March.
Trekking in the Remote Amazon Rainforest
During our Trekking the Planet journey we have tried to visit some of the most remote places in the world. Perhaps none of these have been more off the beaten path than the Amazon Rainforest.
Meeting of the Waters: Sailing up the Amazon River
We have sailed the first quarter of Amazon River’s entire distance to the city of Manaus, Brazil, over four days. During this time we learned more about the Amazon and several of its tributaries.
Experiencing Devil’s Island
Our first stop in South America was in an unlikely place. Devil’s Island, located off the coast of French Guiana, was the site of an infamous penal colony for 100 years.
A Tale of Two Countries: St. Maarten / St. Martin
Our first stop in the Caribbean was on the island of St. Maarten. It is the smallest island in the world that is split between two countries. We thought it would be fun to see both the French and Dutch sides of the island.
Crossing the Atlantic
We have arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which marks the end of the first portion of our sea voyage from Rome, Italy, to Manaus, Brazil. During this part of our journey we crossed the Atlantic Ocean, making a couple of stops along the way.
A Taste of Morocco: Marrakesh
Morocco is a country that we have wanted to visit for quite some time. So we were happy to stop in Morocco for a day on our way west, hoping to get a taste of what the country has to offer.
A Mediterranean Voyage
We are back at sea and on the Pacific Princess, as we travel from Rome, Italy, to Manaus, Brazil, over the next 32 days. As we began our journey we visited three ports in the Mediterranean Sea.
Discovering Jordan Off the Beaten Path
We came to Jordan to visit two of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage sites: the archeological treasure of Petra and the desert landscape of Wadi Rum. The way we explored each one took us off the beaten path and provided us with a more remote and memorable experience.
Seeking History and Religion in Northern Ethiopia
Before and after our trek we journeyed through the northern portion of Ethiopia. Our travels took us along the Historical Circuit, as we sought Ethiopia’s unique history and the role of religion in its culture.
Ibexes, Wolves and Baboons (Oh My!) – Trekking in Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains
During our three weeks in Ethiopia we visited archeological and historic sites. We also came to this country to trek in a remote place. We set off for our trek in the Simien Mountains to view the incredible vistas and see three unique animals.
A Day in Pictures – Samburu: Wamba, Kenya
We spent the better part of a week in the town of Wamba as we explored the communities in the area. This provided us with the opportunity to observe everyday life in this remote part of Kenya.
A Samburu Sojourn
We spent a week in the Samburu region of Kenya, learning more about non-profit work being done to provide clean water to communities in the area. In the process, we gained a greater appreciation for the people in this area.
In Search of the Big Five in Kenya
We spent five days on safari in Kenya, visiting a variety of areas, ranging from small sanctuaries to large national parks. We had previously been on safari and had seen four of the five animals, the leopard being the exception. So we were hopeful of seeing one during our visit to Kenya.
A Walk on the Wild Side in the Maasai Mara
To begin our time in Africa we took a multiple-day walking safari. Our hope was to experience some of the wild side of Africa, in terms of both bush terrain and animal encounters. We also had the opportunity to learn more about the Maasai people in the process.
An Italian Respite
Sandy writes about our stay in Italy and taking time to recharge in the Italian Alps before our journey to Africa.
Eastern European Finale – Croatia
After 41 days of traveling through 10 Eastern European countries we have reached our final nation – Croatia. Here, we chose to spend a week in three different places within this small but diverse country.
Exploring the Balkans: Bulgaria and Serbia
While traveling through the Balkan Peninsula, we visited the countries of Bulgaria and Serbia. We targeted one destination in each country to explore.
Two Views of Romania
We journeyed to Romania to visit two different areas of the country that we wanted to experience before they become more popular in the future. Learn about our two views of Romania by reading more of the story.
Travels to Budapest and Beyond… Our Train Odyssey through Europe
Traveling through Europe may not pose some of the challenges found in Asia or Africa, but we have had our own set of problems to solve as we make our way through a total of 19 countries.
Trekking the Julian Alps, European Style
We have just completed our second European trek. This four-day hike took us through a small section of the Julian Alps, in the country of Slovenia. We wanted to hike here to take advantage of the hut-to-hut system, which is a type of trekking found in Europe.
A Family Reunion in Germany
After 10 days in Poland and Slovakia, we have left Eastern Europe to visit Germany. We chose to stay in two cities that we had not previously visited, Dresden and Bamberg. Germany is also the place for a very special family reunion, almost exactly halfway into our 14-month trip.
Understanding Poland: A Country’s Primer
During our week in Poland, we received a great introduction to the country, a ‘primer’ of sorts. We wanted to learn more about this country’s culture and its turbulent history. In addition, we wanted to view its natural features by bus and train.
Exploring Norway’s Coast by Bus and Train
We did not have the budget to cruise down the Norwegian coast and see the fjords by sea. So we pieced together an overland itinerary to see as much of this scenic country as possible.
To the Bitter End: Trekking on Lapland’s Kungsleden Trail
As we approached our first trek in Europe we knew that it would be unlike anything we had attempted to date. We would also be trekking in one of the harshest environments in the world, in Lapland, located above the Arctic Circle.
Memories of Sweden Revisited
Sandy writes about her return to Sweden 30 years after she was an exchange student in the country.
Gulf of Finland Capitals: Tallinn and Helsinki
We have spent the past few days in the capital cities of Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland. The two cities are located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) across the Gulf of Finland from one another. We enjoyed learning about the history and culture of both places.
Goodbye Asia, Hello Europe!
After over three months in Asia, Europe is the next continent on our journey. Our new experiences began with our first stop in Europe, Latvia.
Uzbekistan Visions of the Silk Road
Uzbekistan has been long synonymous with the Silk Road. After leaving Samarkand we split our time between visiting two Silk Road cities and experiencing the rural village countryside.
A Warm Welcome in Uzbekistan
We have been in Uzbekistan for about a week now and are amazed at what we have seen and at the warm welcome we have received from the local people.
A Nomadic Journey through Kyrgyzstan
Located in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is one of the most remote countries on the planet. The Kyrgyz people have historically been nomadic herders. Our 12-day journey provided a glimpse into this nomadic way of life as we traveled by road and foot through this mountainous country.
Connecting the Dots: Traveling from Lhasa to Bishkek
When we initially built our Trekking the Planet itinerary, we had a little problem connecting the dots. The journey between Lhasa, Tibet and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan ended up being the most complex of the trip to date.
The Blessings of Tibet
Our ten-day visit Tibet was fascinating from both a cultural and natural perspective. However, it is what happened leading up to our arrival and what took place during our time there, that makes us, four months into our expedition, feel truly blessed.
The Challenge and Reward of Trekking in Nepal’s Mustang Region
We have just returned from our longest, hardest and most rewarding trek of our journey in the Mustang region of Nepal. While we anticipated the difficult physical effort associated with the trek we were not prepared for the other challenges that came our way during this time.
Nepal at Last!
Nepal is the 10th country on our expedition and one that is significant to us. Over ten years after we first planned to visit here, we finally made it to Nepal and our next trek.
Food in Asia: The Good, the Bad and the Not So Appealing
One of the great pleasures of traveling is the food. During our time in Asia we have eaten a variety of food in the countries we have visited.
Traveling the Rivers of Laos
Laos is a land of rivers. As we continue our travels in Laos we took a three-day river journey down two major rivers in the country: the Nam Ou and Mekong.
The Search for Everyday Life in Laos
We are spending more time in Laos than any other country during our five weeks in Southeast Asia. This is a remote area and by taking it slow we are hoping for “off the beaten path” cultural experiences. What we found was amazing!
Miles to go before I Sleep – Traveling on Thai Trains
While in Southeast Asia we have been traveling primarily by train. In fact, we have covered over 1,700 miles by rail since leaving Singapore. Thai trains are great for covering large distances in a relatively painless way.
Happy New Year – Thai Style
Our visit to Thailand happened to coincide with the Songkran Thai New Year’s festival. However, the real attraction is the city of Ayutthaya itself.
Malaysia: Getting There is Half the Fun
We didn’t expect our first Asian train trip, from Singapore to Butterworth, Malaysia, to be an all night affair. The train was scheduled to arrive at 9:20pm, just in time for a good night’s sleep at our hotel. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
A Taste of Thai Paradise – Ko Samui
On our last stop on our ocean voyage between Sydney, Australia and Singapore we visited the island of Ko Samui in Thailand.
The Mysterious Island of Bali, Indonesia
Yesterday we spent a day in Indonesia visiting the island of Bali. During our short time there we were exposed to a combination of its culture and nature.
Farewell, Australia
Our time in Australia is coming to an end. After traveling through four states on planes, trains, buses and ferries, we are now in the northern section of this vast country, just smaller than the continental United States. The highlight of our time here was a visit to the Great Barrier Reef.
The Challenge and Beauty of Tasmania’s Overland Track
It has been two days since we have completed the Overland Track, our first trek of our journey.
We chose this hike because it is located in one of the most pristine natural areas on earth.
Tasmania – First Impressions
The island of Tasmania is the location of our first trek of our journey. It is home to national parks, world heritage sites and many animals. We were able to visit several locations on the island.
Sydney and Melbourne – A Tale of Two Cities
Our time in Australia began with visits in two of its largest cities: Sydney and Melbourne.
Passage around New Zealand
We spent three days in three very different areas of New Zealand. In the process our ship made a semi-circumnavigation of the two major islands, North Island and South Island.
Journey to the Four Corners of the Earth
We have now ended our second five day stretch of sea days on the Pacific Ocean. During this time we were, in a sense, sailing through the four corners of the earth.
Crossing the Pacific Ocean
It is Tuesday and we are a little more than halfway between San Diego, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
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Zebra, Masai Mara National Reserve - Kenya
Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, Ayutthaya, Thailand
View of Devil`s Island, French Guiana
Wat Chiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya, Thailand
View from Burj Khalifa Observation Deck - Dubai, UAE
The Monastery - Petra, Jordan
Trondheim, Norway
Song Kol Lake, Kyrgyzstan
Singapore Skyline
Potala Palace, Tibet, China
Penang, Malaysia
Patan Durbar Square, Nepal
Old Town, Tallin, Estonia
Old Town - Krakow, Poland
Ol Lolokwe Mountain, Samburu Region - Kenya
Nativity Cathedral, Riga, Latvia
Nong Khaiw, Laos
Mustang, Nepal
Monks receiving Alms, Luang Prabang, Laos
Mt. Everest, Tibet, China
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